In a few months, I will be flying to Namibia. Part of the trip will be in deserts, and I'm not sure if it is OK for the Mavic.
I've seen drone photos and videos from the Namibia but I am not sure if it's fine to fly there even though I don't believe that the sand will reach the heights of the Mavic (you can also search how many sand storms there are in Namibia).

Thanks,
Yhadar

I'm not sure if what I post is correct. What I'd check if I were you is the maximum temperature in which to fly the drone safely. When a battery is kept in places that are too hot it can permanently damage it.
And the other thing, sand, has already been covered by you pretty well. I'd use a large enough landing pad to safely take off and land on a platform without sand. And of course don't fly when there's too much sand in the air because it might get into the drone, and might compromise image quality (not just by scratching the lens, but also by clouding the subject).

For the most part Namibia is fairly still, they have storms like many other deserts but like anywhere else don't fly your mavic in one. Just take a little care when handling your drone above sand to ensure you don't get any in the cooling vents or motors. Don't take off or land on dry sand and it will be fine. If you aren't comfortable with hand launching or catching then grab a large piece of cardboard or something along the way and you'll be ready to go. Namibia gets insanely hot over November / February (well over 40deg Celcius or  100 farenheit) but if you are going in a few months then the heat won't be a problem. Just don't leave your batteries baking in the sun.

I don't know what the drone laws are like in Namibia but I am sure with the usual amount of flying discretion and common sense you won't get into any trouble.

I see you are from Israel - Namibia probably won't be too different if you aren't on the coast there.

Nic Posted at 2017-3-14 23:12
For the most part Namibia is fairly still, they have storms like many other deserts but like anywhere else don't fly your mavic in one. Just take a little care when handling your drone above sand to ensure you don't get any in the cooling vents or motors. Don't take off or land on dry sand and it will be fine. If you aren't comfortable with hand launching or catching then grab a large piece of cardboard or something along the way and you'll be ready to go. Namibia gets insanely hot over November / February (well over 40deg Celcius or  100 farenheit) but if you are going in a few months then the heat won't be a problem. Just don't leave your batteries baking in the sun.

I don't know what the drone laws are like in Namibia but I am sure with the usual amount of flying discretion and common sense you won't get into any trouble.

Thanks and I think i will use the gimbal cover if it won't be too hot...

Just in case there will be sand in the air....

Dont do it. I was just flying in a dessert in Peru, starting and landing from my hand. Now the rubber parts in the gimbal are full of sand, dont know how to get rid of it. Looks like those rubber parts are coated with a oil layer, thats where the sand sticks to. There is always sand in the air and you mavic tries to vacum clean the desert air...

Flew my P4P in Namibia with no issues.

i was born in Namibia. It is very easy to tell what days are good for flying and what days are not - i mean it will be that obvious.
Any wind brings sand to the air - no wind - no sand - no problem
Watch out for fog along the coast - it seems radio signal is affected by fog
watch out for humidity changes generally - it appears humidity changes affect radio signal and these instances seem to happen mostly at/around sunset.
No flying on days hotter than 39 degrees C
ensure batteries are stored safely.
If you find any diamonds - do not tell it on this forum
Have a great time

Sand will reach heights of mavic - easilly - but still it is safe to fly on NO WIND days which are many.

Bekaru Tree Posted at 2017-8-13 06:07
i was born in Namibia. It is very easy to tell what days are good for flying and what days are not - i mean it will be that obvious.
Any wind brings sand to the air - no wind - no sand - no problem
Watch out for fog along the coast - it seems radio signal is affected by fog

Very helpful answer thanks Thinking of going myself later on this year and I'm super excited.

Do you know anything about Cape Town, South Africa? Was thinking about doing a few days there since it's cheaper to fly there and then fly to Namibia than fly directly to Namibia.

You will be fine. I live in the West Mojave desert and I fly year round. Avoid high winds or extreme heat and don't take off and land in a pile of sand.

rikk08 Posted at 2018-2-9 07:01
Very helpful answer thanks  Thinking of going myself later on this year and I'm super excited.

Do you know anything about Cape Town, South Africa? Was thinking about doing a few days there since it's cheaper to fly there and then fly to Namibia than fly directly to Namibia.

born in namibia - raised in cape town - what do you want to know - i know cape town backwards

As long as you don't disturb camels, Bedouins and sand worms, I guess it should be fine.

eYeSkYeYe Posted at 2018-2-9 12:56
As long as you don't disturb camels, Bedouins and sand worms, I guess it should be fine.

namibian desert = no camels, no bedouins, no sand worms = good to go

Bekaru Tree Posted at 2018-2-9 13:16
namibian desert = no camels, no bedouins, no sand worms = good to go

And how about the diamonds?

eYeSkYeYe Posted at 2018-2-9 13:18
And how about the diamonds?

got lots of that stuff :-)

I am going there too, in april ,maybe its not toooo hot then. Dont forget to apply for a permit as you need one now. All drones flying should be registred with the dca.cost nad1200, but do it in time. You need to fill out everything about your drone and send them screen shots and coordinates of places you will fly

dancopter Posted at 2017-8-12 08:57
Flew my P4P in Namibia with no issues.

I know you cannot ofcourse fly your drone  in etosha, but do you know if they can seal the drone in somekind of bag. I read somewhere that they do it. Just wondering if anybody has experience about this

Bekaru Tree Posted at 2018-2-9 11:51
born in namibia - raised in cape town - what do you want to know - i know cape town backwards

I'd like to spend a few days in Cape Town before Namibia, do you know if it is possible to fly a drone there? (not in the city/crowded areas of course)  

If you know any hidden gem/places I should miss (both Cape Town and especially Nambia) let me know, would really appreciate it ;)

rikk08 Posted at 2018-2-12 02:27
I'd like to spend a few days in Cape Town before Namibia, do you know if it is possible to fly a drone there? (not in the city/crowded areas of course)  

If you know any hidden gem/places I should miss (both Cape Town and especially Nambia) let me know, would really appreciate it ;)

anywhere you put your drone up in cape town you gonna get beautiful views. when in CT i choose locations that is within eyesight of people (because depending where you are security can be a risk) but as far as possible away from them (so as not to cause disturbance or invade their airspace.
i listed 10 places around the peninsula - there are many more but for too many reasons to explain these are the ones i suggest.
1. sports fields in GreenPoint
2. Sport field in front of La Med - between Clifton and Camps Bay
3. Lions Head - requires a hike up the mountain, about 1 hr up - early morning is best and especially if your are up before the sun rises - drones views are insane of city bowl, Table mountain and seaboard - watch out for tourism helicopters - they go wide of the top but anyway no need to fly too far out to get the views below.
4. Rhodes Memorial - watch out for security - fly when other people are about. - the rest is open mountain side
5. Lake side common grounds (big open fields
6. Clovelly - between Fish Hoek (too populated) and Simons Town (naval base)
7. Boulders
8. Scarborough - stop along the road next to the sea where good los over distance permits
9 Kommetjie light house/ harbor
10. Hout bay - most outstanding fish and chips outside resturant at the very absolute end of the road going past hout bay harbor - good place to launch , great fish and chips

So thats a lot and only one piece of Cape Town - if you know what bits of Cape town (other than shown in map) let me know and i will give you good launch options ie ; if you are going to blouberg or the winelands.

Cape town has big sea line so launching close to it and flying over the beaches will give great views all round and be safe
The locations i mentioned are places where safe flying spaces are available
Only be aware of flying at Lions Head - launch and fly straight out - dont fly up
Watch out for Cape Town wind!!!!!!!
if there is cloud on Table Mountain there is wind in Cape Town but not nessesarily all over the place - if there is no cloud then either there is no wind or it is blowing a gale.

Bekaru Tree Posted at 2018-2-12 07:45
anywhere you put your drone up in cape town you gonna get beautiful views. when in CT i choose locations that is within eyesight of people (because depending where you are security can be a risk) but as far as possible away from them (so as not to cause disturbance or invade their airspace.
i listed 10 places around the peninsula - there are many more but for too many reasons to explain these are the ones i suggest.
1. sports fields in GreenPoint

Thank you so much!!! That is just perfect, can't thank you enough for it. I will be there in September so quite a long to go but I've already saved you post for future reference. I'm not usually a city person but Cape Town is different and I've always wanted to visit.
I will be there for around a week (haven't decided yet) with a lot of camera equipment and the mavic! After that I'm flying to Namibia for a 2 weeks road trip which I'm super excited about

rikk08 Posted at 2018-2-13 05:49
Thank you so much!!! That is just perfect, can't thank you enough for it. I will be there in September so quite a long to go but I've already saved you post for future reference. I'm not usually a city person but Cape Town is different and I've always wanted to visit.
I will be there for around a week (haven't decided yet) with a lot of camera equipment and the mavic! After that I'm flying to Namibia for a 2 weeks road trip which I'm super excited about

sounds like a great trip coming up for you. i hope it will be a wonderfully memorable experience for you.

Bekaru Tree Posted at 2018-2-13 07:42
sounds like a great trip coming up for you. i hope it will be a wonderfully memorable experience for you.

Thank you and thanks for all the tips!! Really excited for Namibia, got a lot of places saved on my map and I'm thinking of doing a 4x4 road trip for about 2 weeks.

Great video. Through which company you requested the permission and made the insurance payment to take the drone. I travel in July and I would like to do it